The Big Lead

Giants-Cowboys draws NFL's biggest audience as most-watched regular-season game

By Joe Lago

Nov 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) is sacked by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Carl Lawson (55) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Nov 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) is sacked by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Carl Lawson (55) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / Chris Jones-Imagn Images
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As far as games with playoff implications, the turkey of the NFL's Thanksgiving Day schedule figured to be the triple-header's middle contest: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys.

The NFC East matchup pitted two sub-.500 teams going nowhere. And the starting quarterbacks were less "who's who" and more "Who's that?" with backups Drew Lock and Cooper Rush promoted to QB1 status for different reasons.

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The joke was that Giants-Cowboys would be the tryptophan of the NFL's Thanksgiving Day offerings that would put America to sleep. The TV ratings shockingly indicate otherwise.

According to FOX, Dallas' 27-20 victory over New York was the most-watched NFL telecast of the regular season on any network, drawing 38.5 million viewers. At its peak, the Giants-Cowboys audience reached 41.3 million.

The incredible ratings numbers further illustrate the power of the NFL. While both teams have gigantic fan bases, the wayward 2024 seasons of the Giants and Cowboys didn't figure to be remotely appealing for the neutral fan.

But on Thanksgiving, living-room televisions are on throughout America. Football — even mediocre football — will be consumed.

There's also the appeal of the Cowboys, aka America's Team. They're polarizing enough to have half the audience rooting for them and the other half hoping they'll fall flat on their faces.

However, this year's Cowboys game on Thanksgiving garnered a smaller audience than last year's holiday game in Dallas. The 2023 Thanksgiving showdown with the rival Washington Commanders drew 41.8 million viewers.

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